Reality TV News - June 2002

June 30, 2002According to Zap2It.com, Big Brother executive producer Arnold Shapiro, who helped revamp the show last summer along with producer Allison Grodner, has some new tricks up his sleeve this time around. While retaining most of the features from last time, they "have thrown in just a few twists and turns, just a few new roadblocks in terms of our rules and format so that the people coming into the house who have worked out a perfect strategy -- and believe me, all of them think they have -- are in for a few surprises."

June 30, 2002CBS has announced that the 'Big Brother 3' cast members will be announced on the Friday, July 5, 'The Early Show' CBS morning news prorgam. But don't fret folks, because according to executive producer Arnold Shapiro "they're like hungry dogs just waiting to be released from their cages before the contest begins."

June 30, 2002The Hollywood Reporter reports that the Sci-Fi Channel is getting into TV's hidden-camera reality game show business with "Scare Tactics," a half-hour show hosted by "Beverly Hills, 90210" alumna Shannen Doherty to launch in the fall. The show will secretly film pranks inspired by sci-fi movies with setups that will run the gamut from haunted houses to alien abductions.

June 29, 2002The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Neleh Dennis, the perky 22-year-old who just missed taking home a million bucks by one vote in 'Survivor: Marquesas,' is preparing for the cameras again when she becomes the newest reporter for the KUTV, Ch. 2, morning news team.

June 26, 2002In an interview with St. Louis Today, 'The Mole' producers Scott Stone and David Stanley point to clues that could bring the show back for a third go-round next season -- despite what might appear to outsiders to be lackluster ratings.

June 25, 2002Hollywood Reporter reports that for the week ending June 23, Fox's 'American Idol: The Search for a Superstar' reality show doggedly held onto its audience, with Tuesday's episode the top-rated program among viewers 18-49 (5.2 rating/15 share), according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

June 25, 2002Hollywood Reporter reports that NBC's 'Dog Eat Dog' secured another adults 18-49 victory for NBC on Monday.Meanwhile, CBS' regular comedy block in repeats delivered a nightly win for the network in total viewers, according to overnight Nielsen data.

June 24, 2002MTV's latest Real World wanna-be show, 'Sorority Life' premieres Monday, June 24th at 10:30PM. 'Sorority Life' follows a group of University of California - Davis students for 10 weeks as they pledge Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, a 4-year-old Jewish sorority that was previously little known on its own campus.

June 24, 2002Itching to make a fool of yourself? Or simply in need of cash -- something in the range of, oh...a million dollars? Then you sound like a prime candidate for 15 minutes of stardom on reality TV. To help you take the first steps, Enterainment Weekly has compiled a guide to the application process, with advice from EW.com and the producers of 'The Bachelor,' 'Dog Eat Dog,' 'Fear Factor,' 'The Real World,' and 'Survivor ' about the essential do's (cultivate your charisma) and don'ts (come across as a ''media whore''). Read on -- and then get ready for your closeup!

June 20, 2002The Chicgo Trtibune is reporting that former White Sox general manager (and current White Sox VP) Ron Schueler says reports of his daughter, Carey, being chosen as a contestant on the currently filming "Survivor: Thailand" series are untrue.

June 19, 2002Move over Ozzy Osbourne. The Hollywood Reporter reports that ABC Family is turning the reality program genre on its head with "My Life Is a Sitcom," a new half-hour primetime reality series about finding a real-life family to serve as the stars of their own sitcom. ABC Family has given a 13-episode order to Nash Entertainment for the series. ABC Family will conduct a nationwide search to find a family to play themselves. It's like MTV's reality series hit "The Osbournes" -- except this family won't start off famous.

June 18, 2002The Hollywood Reporter's Cynthia Littleton reports that NBC's new reality series 'Dog Eat Dog,' got off to a good start in its Monday 9 p.m. time slot. 'Dog Eat Dog' averaged 10.1 million viewers and 4.5 rating/13 share in the adults 18-49 demographic from 9-10 p.m.

June 14, 2002Fans of the reality show 'Survivor' will have to wait to see their favourite personalities return for an all-star edition. CBS spokesperson Chris Ender has told TV Guide Online that the next two 'Survivor' series set to air this fall and next spring will feature run-of-the-mill American contestants not celebrities or previous 'Survivor' players.

June 12, 2002Zap2It.com reports that it's too soon to say whether FOX's "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar" will become the pop-culture phenomenon that its predecessor did in the United Kingdom. But it at least has a chance.

June 11, 2002The Chicago Sun's Phil Rosenthal reports that FOX's 'American Idol: The Search for a Superstar' promises to make someone a music industry star by staging a talent contest and awarding the winner a recording and management contract.

June 11, 2002While no show was a challenge to NBC's Sunday night telecast of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Episode 2 of 'Looking for Love: Bachelorettes In Alaska' showed some overnight ratings promise, scoring a 4.3/8 in Sunday night's ratings which placed it a distant 3rd behind NBC's 7.9/14 NBA finals Game 3 but just behind CBS's 'Joan Of Arc' 4.3/8 rating.

June 10, 2002After two years of having the unique distinction of being the only show that had it's own dedicated forum (and not one but two!) but no formal website, RealityTVWorld.com has announced that CBS' 'Big Brother' reality television program now has its own RealityTVWorld.com website -- BigBrotherBites.com 'Big Brother 3' starts July 10th.

June 6, 2002CBS is now accepting applications for Survivor 6. The link to the official application can be found below. To apply for Survivor, you must complete the application form and follow the instructions. The completed application must be received by July 3, 2002.

June 5, 2002SNN reports that the castaways for Survivor: Thailand have been selected. In fact, they have just arrived in Bangkok, and sleuths have been tracking them every step of the way. The 16 survivors and 2 alternates arrived in Los Angelos on June 3rd checked into the Amari Airport Hotel in Thailand jin the early morning hours of June 6th. After survival training completes, filming is scheduled to begin on Sunday June 9th.

June 1, 2002USA Toay reports that NBC is aiming to repeat last summer's gross-out sensation 'Fear Factor' with Dog Eat Dog, a new 13-week series that's best described as a cross between Fear and Weakest Link.